Making cruel unusual

摘要

A couple of miles from Congress in Washington, DC, sits a large complex of buildings in a redbrick Italianate style with terracotta roof tiles. It might be mistaken for a college, were it not for the ironwork in front of the windows to stop people from jumping out. This is the old St Elizabeths Hospital, once one of the largest asylums in America. It now stands empty, awaiting redevelopment for the Department of Homeland Security.